Backbone Race Report

Saturday, December 30, 2006

Beauford Wishes All A Happy New Year's!

My only child, Beauford T. Justice, wishes you all a safe and sloppy-drunk New Year! Beauford was going to show up at the New Year's ride tomorrow, but a hot Bijon just texted him. Needless to say, he won't be home for a few days. Hope to see everyone at the ride tomorrow...except Jim, he's gay...and at Jay's after for drinks! Peace out bitches..

Friday, December 29, 2006

The Big 29"

This article will make King James and Jeff "Tookie" Williams giddy as school girls. Gentlemen, try not to let the size of their wheels give you "Niner Envy."

Manufacturers To Flood 29er Market in 2007

By Chris Lesser, Bicycle Retailer Magazine, Current issue

SEPTEMBER 01, 2006 -- NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CA—The growing number of manufacturers, consumers and retailers driving sales of 29-inch-wheeled bikes like to pepper talk of their favored wheel size with words like “movement” and “revolution.”

But with companies like Cannondale, GT, Jamis, KHS, Raleigh and Turner joining Kona, Orbea, Redline and the legions of small frame builders already making 29ers—and with Gary Fisher approaching its sixth year offering the big wheel—some might say the revolution already has arrived.

Chris Sugai, co-founder of Niner Bikes, sees the influx of new players to the 29er market as a good thing. “It helps legitimize the 29er movement,” he said. “It shows it’s not purely a niche game anymore—it’s not just these crazy single-speed people.”

Sugai and Steve Domahidy launched Niner Bike at Interbike in 2004 as the first company dedicated solely to making 29er mountain bikes.

The company recently upgraded to a larger facility and Sugai said business has been good. The company specs custom-drawn Easton tubesets for every frame size in its five-bike line—the latest of which is a 4.5-inch-travel, full-suspension bike. That a company can succeed catering to the high end hints at the depth of the emerging market.

Big Wheels Keep on Rolling. The popularity of 29ers has been spreading virally for some time, and while the interest in big wheels initially paralleled single speeds, it more recently has developed into a category in its own right.

To get the pulse of the 29er market look no further than the 29-inch wheel forum at Mtbr.com, which regularly ranks among the most popular of the site’s heavily trafficked message boards.

Erik Angermaier, owner of the Slippery Pig Bike Shop in Phoenix, Arizona, has had a front-row seat for the 29er revolution.

Since buying his Gary Fisher rep’s first 29er demo back in 2002, Angermaier has sold off all his 26-inch mountain bikes and now sells mostly 29ers.

Today, Angermaier can’t list all the 29er brands he carries in the same breath. Indeed, brands the casual consumer may not be familiar with—small builders like Gunnar, Lenz Sport or Sycip—have responded quickly to growing 29er demand and have reaped the benefits.

With $1 million in annual sales, Angermaier said 50 percent of his sales over $2,000 are 29ers; 75 percent of his sales in the $1,000 to $2,000 range are 29ers; and about 10 percent of his sales under $1,000 are 29ers, “but just because of lack of options.”

Ethan Grossman, owner of Black Sheep Cycles in Charlotte, North Carolina, opened for business last May and has found success selling 29ers in a market already crowded with a dozen shops.

“Twenty-niners are here to stay,” said Grossman, “but some people might be blowing the horn a little too much.” Sales of 29ers account for about a quarter of Grossman’s business.

“It takes an extra half a pedal stroke to get up to speed, the bikes lay down a little more slowly in the corners and if you’re shorter, the bikes can be unruly,” Grossman said. “But the benefits far outweigh the downsides and you adapt once you start riding them.”

Niner’s Sugai said the biggest misconception about 29ers is that they’re for bigger riders only. “But that’s patently incorrect,” Sugai said. “I’m 5 feet 6 inches and I was so impressed with 29ers, I started a company to build them.”

Now, even Trek, in its concerted post-Lance effort to spice up its mountain bike development, has entered the fray.OK, sort of. The Travis Brown-designed single-speed “69er” (not to be confused with the Carver “96er”) features a 29-inch wheel up front and a 26-inch wheel in the rear.

Purebred 29er or not, the buzz the 69er is generating smacks of the same excitement found on MTBR’s 29er forum. “Based on initial responses, I just marvel at what it seems to attract,” said Trek brand manager Zapata Espinoza. “I’ve gotten more emails and inquiries about it than any other bike in the line.”

Of course, Trek’s sibling brand, Gary Fisher, has been at it a while longer and for 2007 is adding another steel hardtail to its stable of seven 29er models.

“There is not a lot of activity over $1,000 in traditional hardtails,” said Fisher product manager Dean Gore. “But at the higher price points, 29er hardtails are just far outstripping any 26-inch hardtails.”

Full Suspension, Components Fuel the Fire. While 29ers have gained popularity with single-speed and hardtail riders, builders like Fisher, Lenz Sport, Titus and Ventana have been busy trying to satiate the growing demand for full-suspension big wheelers. For 2007, look for more full-suspension designs to keep the category growing.

Intense Cycles, for example, has already started shipping its new Spider 29, an adaptation of its popular Spider model that uses the VPP suspension design licensed from Santa Cruz. Intense founder Jeff Steber said by using geometry closer to that of a road bike, like a 74-degree headtube angle, the bike handles much more like a traditional mountain bike.

The impending spike in 29er offerings in the 2007 model year would be impossible if component makers, namely tire and fork suppliers, weren’t supporting the standard.

Panaracer and Intense are adding 29er tires to their 2007 product lines, joining companies like Continental, Kenda, Maxxis and Schwalbe. Specialized sold 29-inch tires this year, but couldn’t be pinned down on when or if the company will produce a complete bike.

Components maker WTB, which helped jumpstart the 29er movement back in 1999 with the introduction of the 29-inch Nano Raptor tire, is refining and adding to its 29er tire offerings. It will have five options, including a new 2.55-inch model, and three rim options, up from two last year. Bontrager also is supporting 29er riders with a bevy of wheel and tire options including a tubeless option due this fall.

Fork options for 29ers have been few, but are growing. Marzocchi was the first major player to jump into the category three years ago supplying original equipment forks to Gary Fisher, but the fork maker has been waiting for the demand to catch up and hasn’t put any new development dollars into 29ers.

RockShox’s 80- or 100-millimeter Reba, introduced as original equipment in 2005 and available to the aftermarket this year, were a shot in the arm for 29er development. And beginning next year, RockShox will release an original equipment version of its 130-millimeter Tora fork.

The balance of the 29er fork market is made up of White Brothers, Cannondale Lefty and converted Maverick users.

Neither Fox nor Manitou will field 29er forks for 2007, however a Manitou 29er fork is in development. Several tire companies also are holding out. And Giant isn’t jumping on the 29-inch wheel bandwagon, either.

“There are some beautiful bikes for sure, and from what we hear there’s some decent market demand,” said Giant’s communications manager Andrew Juskaitis. “But we’ve looked at it and we don’t see any reason to produce [a 29er] on technical merits. We see it strictly as a marketing thing.”

But it’s not all hype for George Wisell, who sells 29ers at Five Hills Bikes in Waterbury Center, Vermont, and runs bike29.com on the side. “It smells like full suspension did in 1997,” he said. “You can just feel it.”

VISIT www.kendausa.com for a list of their 29" tire offerings, including the Nevegal, Small Block Eight and Karma.

Jay Gets Double Overalls In Fontucky!

Jay Schippers found he has two more overall podium spots to add to his belt! As a semi-pro DH racer, Jay "Mr. Sunline" Schippers pulled off an amazing THIRD PLACE OVERALL at the Fontana Winter Series. He also found out that he squeaked out a FOURTH PLACE OVERALL in the Southridge Series! Not bad for a guy who has launched a new product line for 661, just bought and fixed up a new Condo, and is married to Teri Strayer! The last one alone would kill most men, but not Jay...that sumbitch is tougher than snake s**t! Congrats to Jay, unless I found out that there were only three or four guys in his class, then he sucks. :)

Chris (you know, the slow one who couldn't beat Jay if he were deader than James Brown.)

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Our Blog Gets It's 3,000th Visitor!

Cascade Falls Trail, Utah

The Backbone Blog has had it's 3,000th visitor this week! Yesterday (12/26) someone rolled the odometer to the milestone, and that just seemed kinda cool. With an average of 32 visits per day and growing (weekly), the blog is seen by people from the U.S., Canada, Nova Scotia, England, Morocco, China, Taiwan, New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, Iceland, Chile, France, and many other countries. Crazy, eh? Many are repeat visitors, who stay and read several pages..average page visit is over 3 and a half minutes! Thanks to everyone who contributes their pictures and stories, it helps me in those lean weeks when Desi has needs.:)

Jim Wannamaker Works During XMAS Party

Our beloved Jim, working during the KENDA Christmas party.

As Lydia and Lonnie played their guitars and got hopped up on egg nog, Jim sat in his office and got all Scrooged, working like an African diamond miner while the rest of the staff boozed it up. known as the hardest working man in the bike industry, he is also the only person that Ara has ever said "JESUS your hairy!" to.Lydia popped in between sets to snap a pic or two of the Backbone Hall Of Famer while in his natural habitat, a 4X4 cubicle graciuosly decked out with pictures of Mike Sabin. I know that bike industy stuff seems glamorous from the outside, but take a good hard look at that cubicle, folks...Jim has a budget that would baffle most people and that's his work environment. Still think it's all shows and fun? Ask Jim, Ara, Bert, James, Taylor, and Vegas Bob, they will tell ya how fun those shows are! I think I'll call Jim right now...he's probably at work taking a call from the wife...

Randy Rush Wins The Moto Series!!!

Randy and my beer...bastardChris, here are some pictures from a week ago. It was a memorial race thatDon Jackson from SRC put on in Adelanto, just wanted to send these to show Iwas representing team Backbone at an mx race as well as mtb races. It was agreat weekend a lot of fun good people and I won my class to. Oh one lastthing I spoke with Don because I couldn't make the year end SRC banquet tofind out how I did and I ended wining the #1 plate for the 35 to 44 class sothat made the weekend that much better. Have a good one my friend Randy

ps...Randy sent a sweet mid-air moto-shot, but my computer is struggling to download it to the blog. I will try again tomorrow!

Monday, December 25, 2006

Cali Christmas Ride w/Taylor and Chris

My Titus and I trying not to suck

I thought I'd post these pictures for the guys on the team who live in the East. I know it's mean to show a Xmas day ride that was done under powder blue skies on a 75 degree day, but what the hell, why not rub it in. This goes out to Jeff Williams, Conor Rowan, and Ryan Nolan who are suffering through some rainy as hell weather this week. have fun boys, sorry you weren't here! For those of you who think there is no challenging riding in the 951, you may wish to come out and roll with us next time on my old playground! Anyone down for a Riverside run soon?

Sunday, December 24, 2006

Moab Condo Bought By Heidi And Darter!

Fashion what?

Darter and Heidi called from Moab, Utah last week. They said they were putting money down on a condo in Moab. We may never hear from them again. good news is, we have a place to stay on the way to the Roff compound in Colorado! If Desi and I get that place in Flagstaff, we can all quit work and just ride....mmmm ride...

Holiday Ride With Don and Robert

Don Burke prior to the drop of death

My sweet KENDA equipped Titus FCR

Robert about to enter the last drop he may ever do

Today I met Robert and Don for a "quick" ride through the Santa Monica's, traversing Westridge and climbing Sullivan Canyon. Much like the classic hit tv comedy "Gilligan's Island," it quickly turned in to a three hour tour. Everything started well, with good weather and little traffic. It would quickly change. About two thirds of the way up the canyon, there is an eight foot cliff-drop off the trail and into the canyon bottom. It's scary at first, but easily handled...most of the time. First up was Robert, who saw it at the last second and just committed (the right choice, usually). He cleaned the drop, but swung off line due to the "g-out" effect and launched over a rock, augering into a dry creek bed and taking a wicked shoulder roll. He was fine, and so was the bike...so far so good. Don was next, and I was actually thinking he had taken the low side trail around the drop. Yeah, not so much. Before I could yell "You Gonna' Die, Foo!" Don sacked up and rolled the drop. He had done it before, and succesfully, too. This time? Not so much. Don's front wheel cut (slow speed stall at the lip of the drop) and the rear wheel followed. Front cleared the jagged boulder, rear...again, not so much. With a yelp and a cry, and rock in his eye, "BIG DON" bit the big red enchilada witha mighty Paul Bunyanesque thump. As the leaves settled and the birds began to chirp again, Big Don was in trouble. Helmet paint chips lay akimbo on the forest floor, as did Don's carcass. The shoulder was real bad, and the bike's front wheel made the term "taco" seem like a vicious understatement. Robert and I took a large rock and beat the everloving hell out of that wheel (which was cracked, by the by) top get it to just look tacoe'd. With about a mile of steep climbing to go, Don was on foot. The wheel was actually cracked in half, being held together by the tire's bead. Nice. we made it to the top, then I lunched a brand new $70 dollar XT rear derailleur. Yay. A bike ride with your pals, 10 dollars in gas. A new Titus bike? Thousands. Watching your riding partners make their wives into widows? PRICELESS!

Beer O' The Week

This week's beer offering is one of my personal faves during the holidays. It's more dessert than beer, but well worth rolling to your local BevMo to get your grubby mountain mitts on. The Young's Double Chocolate Stout is so good, the FCC has deemed it illegal to even discuss on the radio. K-Fed thought it was so rich, he tried to bang a bottle for some income! You will never have a chocolate stout with such a rich cocoa aroma or flavor. Beer? naaahhh....can't be...oh wait, I just blew a 1.06 on the CHP's breathalizer. It's beer allright! Can't recommend this one enough. It comes in a super-tanker of a bottle, too.Next week I will be drinking the Red Hook India Pale Ale...tune in and pass out!

Happy Holidays Peeps!

I would like to take a moment and say thanks to everyone...and I mean EVERYONE. That goes not only for the sponsors but to all of the Backbone riders, their families, and all of our friends who continue to toss their weekends aside and come out to the races. You guys all spend HORENDOUS amounts of bread on this "hobby" (see: Understatement) and all of your available time. For god's sake, people, raise your kids or clean the house or something, would ya? I have been "lucky" enough to have the un-in-laws at the house for a frighteningly long time, and have been trying to crawl UP the chimney for several days now. (tee hee) If I could get my new Titus up there, I'd probably be gone already. After receiving several unexpectedly nice phone calls/cards from many of you (Jeff, Bert, Dawn, Jim and Rhoda, etc) It reminded me of how great this whole thing has been. I get to hang out with my favorite people almost every freakin' weekend, often in a mountain resort, and see racing and beer drinking. How can that possibly be bad? It's like Christmas here everyday at Backbone Adventure Cycling, and I have all of you Animal Husbandry majors to thank for it. I may not get to be at every race every time in every state, but damn if I don't want to be. Keep sending me updates and pics, so I can at least feel like I was there, even for a moment. Happy Holidays everyone, and enjoy all the new bike goodies that Cap'n Chris Kringle stuffs under the tree!

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Kenda's Timari Pruis Signs With Kenda/Titus Women's Team

Our little Timo, seen here in Reno magazine modeling cycling gear...with an ugly ass bike! hahaBackbone peep and KENDA endurance racer Timari Pruis (Reno, Nevada)has signed on to race for the Kenda/Titus women's mountain bike team for 2007. With the departure of both Scott Bicycles and title sponsor FORD, Kenda and Titus stepped up to see that this program did not die. With one slot open, "Timo" and her brownie-bakin' ways filled the slot and inked a lucrative deal to continue her 24 hour racing next season. Timo travels with us a great deal, and we all have shared a bunk with her at one time or another. Her mom is her sole means of racer support (except me) at events, so I am VERY excited for her to get the backing of a large factory team. Look for Timo to kick some ass, and probably help me drink some brew, at a LOT of races in the coming year. Congrats Timo, we all love ya here in the Kenda family!

Vegas Bob Really Is World Famous

Today, World Famous Vegas Bob sent a letter and pic to all of our sponsors, thanking them for assisiting not only himself, but the entire team as well. This is always a good move and I hope many of you follow suit. Sponsors rarely hear from their riders except when they want something. It's kinda like raising teenagers. A ton of work and giving, for nary a kind thought or nice word of thanks. I would like to extend a personal note of thanks to Vegas Bob for his years of faithful service to his team, and to the friendship that he brings to me personally. Bob rocks, and by God he should be World Famous. Check him out at www.Kendausa.com in the bicycle area, under "news." Thanks also to Lydia Brownfield, Kenda's blonde bomber on the web, and Jim Wannamaker (the hardest workin' man in the industry). OK, besides me when Desi has needs and we are at a race or something...then I am the hardest working man....you get the picture.

Sunday, December 17, 2006

Titus Shakedown Ride

Here she is, my Full Custom Race Titus frame all dressed up

Ever had a bike that doesn't fit, but you forced it by sheer will and the spec of odd stems and seatposts? Welcome to my life. At 6'3" and all inseam, I have NEVER..and I mean NEVER...had a bike that actually fit me right. Being too cheap to spend over three hundred dollars on a frame, I rode what ever was the largest size I could buy hanging from the Supergo ceiling. That always led to a bike that ws too short, and thusly uncomfortable, to really love. I was close with the XL Klein that I have raced for so long, but even that was too small. Enter E.J. and the Ti wizards over at Titus Cycles. I decided to poy up for a new hardtail, and I called them up. Settling on a stock size (knowing it would again be too small), I waited for a frame I knew I'd end up selling to Bert. Then the box came. Instead of the ELEVEN logo on the frame, and a large frame in the box, I was staring at a beautiful work of art that seemed to never end as it rose from the cardboard manacles that bound her. The decal that adorned her read "FCR." Was there a mistake? I did not pay for a full custom frame! I thought I had waited a long time for a stock frame..and was beginning to rrealize why. E.J. was aware of my size dilemma, and quietly worked with his framebuilders to custom spec me a Ti frame. Holy crap you guys. If you have never ridden a cutom built frame, or never thought it was worth it...IT IS SOOOOO WORTH IT. On it's very first ride, the bike outshined my trusty old KLEIN in a big way. It was instantly obvious that the custom build would rekindle my love of riding and racing. For those of you who don't think it makes a difference, guess again. That frame is worth every penny, and if you can OR CAN'T afford it..do it. Today.

Vanessa, Dawn and Bob on Backbone Trail

I would like to say thanks to all who came out to help me stretch her legs yesterday on the inaugural FCR ride. Roger, Dawn, Vanessa, Desi-Lou, Vegas Bob, Fuzzy, and Roger's friend all showed up to watch me be not good enough for that bike. The weather was cool and drizzly, and was perfect for a hardtail's first ride.Her name is "The Mullett." That is because she is short in front (flat bars, barends, and rim brakes) and party in the back (disc rear...something foreign to an O.G. like me). thanks to everyone who came out, and I hope to see ya'll again soon.

Lying Bastard Ara's Birthday!

Fuzzy is giant liar. He told me that his birthday was not until January. So to make up fo that, I will post pix of Fuzzy throughout the week. The first one was taken yesterday at the new Titus FCR Shakedown ride..t-shirt courtesy of Vegas Bob!

Friday, December 15, 2006

Kenda IRON MAIDENS Ad In Stores Now!

The new KENDA ad, featuring Backbone lady racers Heidi Volpe, Bev Monohan, Dawn Lyons, Teresa Hill, and "Vinylla" is in stores now, and can be found in the current isue of Mountain Bike Action magazine! Great job girls, you all look hot and I love you!

Jay In Decline Magazine!

Jason Schippers from 661/Sunline came by today to show off their new Sunline products. They will be producing a variety of stuff in their first year, including all-mountain, 1.5" and dh stems, headsets, seats, locking grips, and bars. The model names are similar to their motocross line with V-one being the the top model and then trickling down the V-two and V-three series. The headset uses a unique design that pretty much doesn't require a top cap, although they include one anyway. There will be two direct mount stems for use with Marzocchi 888 and RockShox Boxxer forks. There are also three pedal designs not shown here that you may have seen in the latest Decline magazine.

A Letter From Titus

Dear Chris,

Thanks for the words of praise. We’ve been working hard to be a good supplier and to continue our support of racing. As you know racing has always been a big part of Titus and it remains that way today. Your input and your real-life testing is a big reason that our bikes perform the way they do. We also appreciate the visibility that your team and teams like yours provide our brand. It reminds people that we make products that perform at the highest level and that can take the abuse of racing every weekend. That’s a big reason we’ve been able to enjoy as much success as we have. Right now Titus is growing at an exciting rate and we have no intention of slowing down. This year’s product line will undoubtedly fuel the next huge spike in our sales. Bikes like the Racer X Carbon, Racer X 29er and the new 6” El Guapo are getting huge accolades from editors already. Innovation remains a cornerstone of our overall strategy and some exciting 2008 plans are already well under way.

I’ve been in the bike business for over 25 years now and have had the good fortune to be associated with great brands such as Cannondale, Litespeed and others. In all of those experiences I have been a huge proponent of the grass roots marketing efforts. Big teams and big budgets are a lot of fun and get you lots of exposure but I believe that real people racing your products are equally important to any bike marketing strategy. You are the best local ambassadors of our products and you influence buying habits more than you probably know. Keep up all the good work out there and we’ll do our best to keep giving you superior performing products.

From everybody here at Titus - Good luck on your 2007 campaign and have a great holiday season.

Monday, December 11, 2006

MFactor To Sponsor Team For '07!

Branding house and Uber-Design peeps MFactor in Venice Beach, CA are signing up as Backbone's secondary budget sponsor for 2007! Please go to www.mfactor.com and check out their work. Ming and the boys ther are designing the new team clothing layout, and are working on how else they can be of service. Please be sure to click on their contact link, and e-mail them and say thanks for getting involved with my favorite peeps (next to the Hoff) for this coming season. Many thanks to MFactor for taking the leap and helping me bring back the "M" in Mountain Biking! More to come from MFactor soon....

Sick Days

Today is Monday, and I am entirely vomitous. Ever work at your job, then come home and work on your house for about three or four straight months, then handle a nation-spanning mountain bike team? Twenty hour days are sweet, until your body finally deems it necessary to fight the effects of caffeine and shut down. I'm sure it's for the best, and I am probably shortening my lifespan exponentially, but at least the place is almost done. The team is doing great, as well. I am finishing the order form for new clothing today, actually! Ming is finishing the jersey artwork, Mfactor has decided to be our secondary budget sponsor for 2007 (paying for your clothing, freaks, so you best say thanks!), and we have some fun and exciting new racers coming onboard. The work party at Water Studio was good..for those who weren't finding themselves working it instead of enjoying it...and all that work was completed in the 11th hour (15hour long) push on Friday. Hmm.....why was it I was sick again today? Oh yeah, I also spent TEN HOURS yesterday with Don Burke re-wiring the enire house and then patching the walls for the cabinet blokes until 11pm. Fun. Someone please kill me...please....unless my Titus comes today, then let me just se it first before I croak.

Downhill Racer Ryan Nolan Sends Fresh Pictures

I like this guy. Ryan has been with us for the '06 season, and has been very actively participating in the team process. UNLIKE many of you out there in Backboneland, Ryan constantly sends me pix and updates. Thanks to Jay for getting us involved with Mr. Nolan, who's accomplishments this year have almost counterbalanced his being on this team! haha..Thank Ryan for keeping the updates rolling in!

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Backbone Pre-Ride Team For 2007 Announced

Greg Pleiss, founder of the Backbone Pre-Ride Team

Greg and I have to add one more "rider" to our Pre-Ride Team roster for 2007. That honor goes to ROGER (aka Mr. Humic), who never ceases to take it that extra mile where beer drinking and car shuttling are concerned. I recognize your talents, oh sage of the brew, and Greg and I look forward to your inclusion to this most holy of Backbone subgroups....

Vegas Bob On 'Roids

That's right everyone, Vegas is on 'roids. It's pianful, and he's gone to see a doctor, and he may even have to stay OFF the bike for a while. It's sad what 'roids can do a man's cycling career. Vegas Bob has expressed his desire to work extraordinarily hard this winter and come out swinging, following strict coaches orders. As a result of such dedication and long hours in the saddle, Bob has been afflicted with 'roids. Not steroids, mind you, but the OTHEER one. The one that Ara got three years ago in Big Bear that made him have to lower his seat before the race...the one ya get from eating the all-meat diet. Bob has categorically denied his M.D.'s requests for a high roughage diet and rest, and instead has opted for the mostly carcass sandwiches and hours-of-tear-filled-saddle time diet. Please offer Vegas Bob a hand when sitting down, and please bring cushions with you whenever we all see him. Bob, it's gonna be ok, I hear 661-Sunline is making a new seat just for that problem....Jay will let ya R.&D. it next week....:)